Kate Silverton: My joy working as a counsellor
BBC newsreader Kate Silverton has been working as a school mental health counsellor for the past month, and says it has been a “joy”.
And the former Strictly star will continue with her voluntary role while working as a broadcaster.
Kate, 50, has studied psychotherapy and trained with charity Place2Be. She will begin a masters in September.
She said: “I’ve started counselling in a London primary school.
“I have clients and report to a supervisor at the end of the day. I’m absolutely loving it.
“It’s an extraordinary privilege to be doing that. I feel very focused.”
The newsreader is releasing a book next month about children’s mental health, titled There’s No Such Thing As Naughty, for parents of children under five.
She said: “I explain how we can tackle tantrums and tears and stop sibling squabbles in seconds and help our children to lay the foundations for good mental health.
Happy
“It has its roots in neuroscience, and I’ve studied really hard and researched for many years to put all of this down in a fun way.
“If we lay foundations for good mental health, resilience and empathy really early, we are giving our children the best start.”
The newsreader, who hosts the Beeb’s Saturday evening bulletins, has two children, Clemency, nine, and Wilbur, six, with husband Mike Heron, a former Royal Marine commando.
Kate, who has a degree in psychology, says she has undergone “about 200 years of therapy” herself.
But she stressed she does not “therapise” her own children.
Speaking during a social media livestream she said: “I’m really engaged as a mum. I’m very proud of them.
“They’re very resilient, happy and engaged.”